Austria’s Ingo Gerstl showed a smart move in the dying seconds of race 1 at the TT Circuit in Assen to nick the triumph from local hero Klaas Zwart

Dutchman Zwart delighted his fans by taking the lead when the lights went out and managed to keep archrival Gerstl behind him for most of the race.

However, due to a spin of Salvatore de Plano, the Safety Car had to neutralise the competition, and when the green flags returned, Gerstl reacted a split second quicker than Zwart and slid past to take the lead.

Showing three laps in qualifying speed, the Austrian opened up a three-second-lead over Zwart, which he carried across the finish line to take his fifth victory of the season.

On his way to victory, Gerstl broke the official track record lapping the circuit in 1:19.92 minutes.

Zwart came runner-up ahead of countryman Frits van Eerd. “After the Safety-Car phase I simply reacted too late. I was looking for Ingo in my mirrors, while he slipped past me”, Zwart explained. “But the pace is there, so I will try to fight back Sunday.”

In the FORMULA Class Gary Hauser crowned his comeback with his third win following the double at the season opener in Hockenheim.

“I am delighted about winning here on this renowned track. The two F1 cars were too quick, of course, but I could control the rest of the pack”, the Luxemburg driver was all smiles.

Hauser also profitted from the retirement of his closest pursuer, Swiss Christof von Grünigen. The Zele Racing driver had to retire his car after 6 laps with a clutch failure.

“Christof was doing a great job, but then his clutch basket exploded. We already had problems with the clutch ahead of the race, but seemed to have solved them before the start. It’s a pity, but we will attack again tomorrow”, team boss Michael Zele said.

Standings leader Christopher Brenier finished second, while Mexico’s Luis Dorrbecker was third. “P2 is a good finish. Gary was untouchable for me today, so I have achieved maximum points from what was possible”, Brenier was content.

The second BOSS GP race of the weekend will take place Sunday at 13:50 local time.

Championship leader Gerstl set an incredible lap time of 1:18.852 minutes, but was “slightly discontent having missed the track record by a tenth. Regardless, starting from pole is of course great for the race.”

Local hero Klaas Zwart was pushed by the massive support of the Dutch fans and finished runner-up 0.12 seconds behind Gerstl. Panoz DP01 ChampCar driver Peter Milavec completed the Top 3 ahead of the second Dutchman Frits van Eerd.

Wolfgang Jaksch, who was lightning quick in free practice, dropped back to P5 in his Benetton and was „a bit clueless. I should easily have lapped the track in 1:27.00 minutes. I was on fresh tires and still couldn’t go any quicker.”

The FORMULA Class was dominated by Gary Hauser, who confirmed his top form from the earlier session. The former champion outpaced Mexican Luis Michael Dorrbecker and category standings leader Christopher Brenier.

”I can keep up with Gary in the fast corners, but he is lightning quick on the straights. So P2 is fine for the time being. A podium in the first race is the target”, Dorrbecker said.

Zele Racing driver Christof von Grünigen couldn’t get a perfect lap and thus will start further down the grid. “It’s a pity. I made a mistake in the hairpin which cost me a lot of time. P3 should have been possible. Now it’s all out attack in the race.”

The session was red flagged, when Christian Eicke and Henk de Boer collided. Eicke was on the brakes too late, hit the curbs and spun in his GP2 car hitting de Boer when bouncing back onto the track.

“The chassis is broken. It’s sad, but our weekend is over,” Eicke was devastated. De Boer’s team “will have to be looking for spare parts. If we find all we need, we should get the car going by the start of the race.”

Good news for his numerous fans all over Europe: David Hauser will turn back from the Wolf GB08F1 to the cockpit of the Dallara GP2 this year: “After having sold our car, we’ve been discussing for a long more >>

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